Rotary flexible scrubbing member for receptacle washing machines



March 16, 1954 G w JOHNSON ROT ARY, FLEXIBLE SCRUBBING MEMBER FOR RECEPTACLE WASHING MACHINES Filed Nov. 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l I I2 55 f v I {7 ////'& 4' V 7/ f Fig 4 JNVENTOR,

670mb 1% J0/7/l6'0/7.

March 16, 1954 w, JQHNSQN 2,671,921 ROTARY, FLEXIBLE SCRUBBING MEMBER FOR RECEPTACLE WASHING MACHINES Filed Nov. 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 16, 1954 G, w, JOHNSON 2,671,921

ROTARY, FLEXIBLE SCRUBBING MEMBER FOR RECEPTACLE WASHING MACHINES Filed NOV. 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet j] I? jg INVENTOR,

427070 %/2&/7J0/z Patented Mar. 16, 1954 ROTARY FLEXIBLE SCRUBB ING MEMBER FOR RECEPTACLE WASHING MACHINES Gordon W. Johnson, Raytown, Mo., assignor to Gordon Johnson Company, Kansas City, Mo., -a'corporation of Missouri Application November 6, 1947, Serial No. 784,494

4 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a rotary, flexible scrubbing member for washers for receptacles, and has particular reference to washers ofthe power driven type adapted to wash the interior surfaces of openend receptacles of substantial depth, such as cream and milk cans and the like.

The primary object of the invention is the provision, in a washer for receptacles of the character described, of a scrubbing element comprising a strip of resilient, flexible material fixed at a point intermediate its ends to the end of a rotatable shaft adapted to project axially into the receptacle to be washed, the end portions of said scrubbing element being extendable by centrifugal force when said shaft is rotated to contact and scrub the interior wall surfaces of said receptacle, said scrubbing element adapted by its flexibility to conform to the shape of the receptacle.

A further object is the provision, in a receptacle washer of the class described, of a scrubbing element comprising a flat strip of flexible material having integral scrubbing fingers projecting outwardly from its surfaces.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, ease and efliciency of operation, and adaptability to wash receptacles of a Wide variety of shapes and sizes.

With these objects in view as well as other objects which will appear in the course of the specification, reference will be had to the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a receptacle washer embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the washer.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line III-III of Fig. 1, showing the washer in operation and with a milk can in operative relationship thereto. 4

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line IV-'IV of Fig. 2, with the parts left in elevation showing the washer at rest.

Fig. 5 is a reduced horizontal section taken on line VV'of Fig. 3, with the milk can removed.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the scrubbing element, partially broken away.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line'-VIIVII of Fig. 6, with parts left in elevation. I

Fig. 8 is a sectional view, partially broken away, taken on line VIIIVIII of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken on line IX-IX of Fig. '7.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line X--X of Fig. 3.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line XI-XI of Fig. 2, showing the footoperated switch assembly.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line XII-XII of Fig. 11.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral l4 applies to a substantially square tank constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material, said tank being open at the top andhaving sides l6, front l3, bottom 20, and back 22. Said sides, front, and back are formed at their upper edges to present an outwardly turned flange 24 which serves to support a cover 26 pivotally secured to flange 24 at its rearward edge by means of hinge 28. Said cover is opened when the washer is in use. Sides 16 of said tank extend beneath the bottom 20 thereof and have outwardly turned flanges 30 at the lower edges welded or otherwise rigidly secured to a base plate 32, thus enclosing a space 34 between tank bottom 20 and said base plate. The base plate is supported above the floor by means of a pair of angle irons 36 fixed to the lower surface thereof along its longitudinal edges. Space 34 is closed at its forward end by means of an access door 33 pivotally secured to front l8 of thetank at the lower edge thereof by means of hinge 40.

Base plate 32 extends rearwardly from tank I4. A motor 42 is rigidly secured to a pair of mounting brackets 44, which are in turn rigidly secured to the rearwardly extended portion of said base plate. The shaft 46 of said motor extends vertically downwardly. Said motor is protected by a cover 48, said cover being hingeably secured at its upper end to flange 24 at the rearward edge of tank H! by means of hinge 50, and positioned at its lower edge by an angle-iron frame 52 fixed to the upper surface of base plate 32.

Pulley 54, rigidly secured to motor shaft 46, is operatively connected by means of belt 56 with pulley 58 rigidly secured to a vertical shaft 60 extending centrally through tank It and space 34. Said shaft is supported for rotation at its lower end by a thrust bearing 62 carried by base plate 32, and extends upwardly therefrom through pulley 58, through bearing 64 carried by brackets 66 rigidly secured to base plate 32, through a marine bearing 68 rigidly secured to the outer surface of tank bottom 20, said bearing being adapted to prevent leakage of washing liquid from the tank around said shaft, through a hole '10 provided therefor in tank bottom 20, and thence upwardly to a point adjacent the top of tank I4. The portion of shaft 60 disposed within tank I4 is formed to present an outwardly projecting helical member I2 having substantially the form of an auger, said helical member extending to a point adjacent the upper end of shaft 60.

Circular tube I4 fits about the auger portion of shaft 60, forming in conjunction therewith an auger conveyor adapted to convey water upwardly through said tube. Said auger rotates freely within said tube. Tube 14 is fitted snugly at its lower end within a short length of heavy pipe I6 rigidly secured to tank bottom 20 by means of threaded flange I8. Said pipe is slitted longitudinally at 80 adjacent its upper end to provide resilience, and is provided with external tapered threads adapted to be engaged by a clamp ring 02 having corresponding internal threads. Thus, when said clamp ring is screwed downwardly, pipe I6 will be contracted to clamp tube I4 tightly. Said tube, thus rigidly supported, provides support for shaft 60 to prevent lateral movement of the upper end of said shaft. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart holes 84 formed in tube 14 adjacent its lower end, and a plurality of matching holes 86 formed in pipe I6, permit the washing liquid to enter tube M.

A disc 88 is rigidly mounted axially on shaft 60 adjacent the upper end thereof, and fits rotatably within the upper end portion of tube I4. Said disc is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart longitudinal slots 90 formed in its peripheral edge, said slots permitting the upward passage of washing liquid past said disc. A collar 92 is rigidly secured to shaft 60 immediately above disc 88, and is provided with a radial flange 94 spaced apart from disc 88, said flange serving to deflect liquid ejected upwardly through slots 90 outwardly in a substantially horizontal plane. A pair of parallel, spaced apart planar members 96 serve as a support for a scrubbing member 98 comprising a flat strip of rubber or other flexible material. Said member is formed to present a lug I projecting downwardly therefrom substantially at the midpoint thereof. Said lug is carried between members 96 and a pin I 02 projects through said members and said lug. Said pin is secured in place by cotter keys I04. Both the upper and lower surfaces of said scrubbing member are formed to present a plurality of outwardly extending scrubbing fingers I06, the fingers extending from the lower surface thereof being shorter and more widely spaced apart than those projecting from its upper surface, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8.

A carriage I08 for supporting the receptacle being washed comprises a sleeve IIO carried for sliding movement on tube 14, and a bar H2 extending outwardly in opposite directions from said sleeve to points adjacent the side walls I6 of tank I4. The outer end portions of said bar are offset downwardly so that they may pass downwardly below the top of support pipe 16. A cable H4 is fixed to each end of bar H2, and extends upwardly over a pulley I I6. Each of said pulleys is carried for rotation on a pin II8 supported by bearings I20 fixed to the outer surfaces of side walls I 6, and projects inwardly through slot I22 formed in said side walls, said slots being disposed Well above the level of the washing liquid carried in the tank. A-counterweight I24 is fixed to the outer end of each cable II 4 outside of the tank, said counter-weights being enclosed by covers I26 securely attached to side walls I6. Cables II4 are of such a length that when carriage I08 is at the top of its travel, counter-weights I24 rest on flanges 30 of side walls I4.

An electric heater I 22! for heating the washing liquid is carried in the bottom of tank I4 so as always to be submerged in said liquid, and is served from an electrical junction box I30 carried beneath tank bottom 20 in space 34. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, and electrical switch I32 for controlling motor 42 is securely fixed to one of side walls I6 within space 34 adjacent the front of the washer. The control lever I34 of said switch projects outwardly through a slot I36 provided therefor in side wall I6, and is formed at its outer end to present an eye I 30. A. substantially vertical rod I40 extends through said eye and is loosely secured therein by washers I 42 carried by said rod. At its lower end said rod is pivotally secured to the movable end of a foot pedal I44 pivotally secured by hinge I46 to a mounting bracket I48 rigidly secured to flange 30 of side wall I6. A tension spring I50 secured at its lower end to rod I40 at I52, and at its upper end to cover I26 by screw I54, serves to maintain foot pedal I44 normally in its elevated position. A cover I56 secured to side wall I6 by bracket I58 encloses the portion of the switch linkage external to side wall I6. Tank i4 is provided with an angled drain pipe I60 interconnected with said tank through bottom 20 and projecting outwardly through side wall I6, said extended portion having a manually operable control valve I62 connected therewith.

The operation of the washer is substantially as follows. With motor 42 at rest, scrubbing member 98 hangs downwardly as shown in Fig. 4. With washing fluid contained in tank I4, the receptacle to be washed, such as milk can I64, is inverted over the scrubbing element, the mouth portion of said receptacle resting on bar II2 of carriage I08. Normally counter-weights I24 will have somewhat greater weight than the receptacle, so that a slight downward pressure must be exerted on said receptacle to move it downwardly over the scrubbing member. Foot pedal I44 is then depressed to close switch I32 to start motor 42, and said motor, through pulley 54, belt 56, and pulley 58, rotates shaft 60 and scrubbing element 08. Said scrubbing member is thus extended outwardly in a substantially horizontal plane as shown in Fig. 3, to contact the walls of can I64. The end portions of the scrubbing element lie flat along the walls of the can, bringing the scrubbing fingers I06 thereof into close scouring contact with the can. Thus it may be seen that the scrubbing element is adapted to wash receptacles of non-circular and irregular shapes, and of a wide range of sizes. Normally the scrubbing element twists at its end portions so that its upper surface contacts the receptacle. For this reason the fingers I06 are spaced closely to provide a more eflicient scrubbing action. The fingers associated with the lower surface of the scrubbing element are shorter and more widely spaced apart so as not to interfere with its normal flexing.

At the same time, water or other scrubbing liquid entering tube 74 through holes 84 and 86 is carried upwardly through said tube by auger I2 associated with shaft 60, discharged through slots 90 of disc 83, and deflected outwardly by flange 9d of collar 92 to strike the walls of can 184 in the effective zone of scrubbing member 98, thus increasing the efficiency of the scrubbing action. As can its is moved upwardly and downwardly on carriage tilt, it is apparent that all parts of its interior will be thoroughly scrubbed, The bottom of can is scrubbed by fingers E55 at the mid-portion of scrubbing member 98. Tank i i, being square, will normally have unoccupied spaces at the corners thereof outside of receptacie 58 thus permitting the operator to reach downwardly into the tank to scrub manually the outside of the receptacle. When the receptacle has been thoroughly scrubbed, the downward pressure thereon is released to carriage 188 to be moved upwardly by counterweights 12s and the receptacle is lifted clear of the scrubbing member. Foot pedal M9 normally will be released before the receptacle is lifted off of the carriage, in order to prevent water from being thrown outside of tank I9.

It is apparent that many minor changes of operation and construction could be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and it is therefore desired to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A scrubbing member comprising an elongated panel adapted for mounting intermediate the ends thereof on a rotatable actuating element therefor, said panel being highly flexible whereby the same radiates from the axis of rotation of said element through centrifugal force during rotation of the element, said panel having a pair of opposed faces each provided with a plurality of spaced, integral fingers, there being an appreciably larger number of fingers on one of said faces than on the other face whereby the panel tends to bend in one direction only upon contact of the panel at the ends thereof with a surface to be scrubbed thereby.

2. A scrubbing member comprising an elongated panel adapted for mounting intermediate the ends thereof on a rotatable actuating element therefor, said panel being highly flexible whereby the same radiates from the axis of rotation of said element through centrifugal force during rotation of the element, said panel having a pair of opposed faces each provided with a plurality of spaced, integral fingers, there being an appreciably larger number of fingers on one of said faces than on the other face and the fingers on said one face being longer than the fingers on said other face whereby the panel tends to bend in one direction only upon contact of the panel at the ends thereof with a surface to be scrubbed thereby.

3. A scrubber for use with a machine for washing containers of the type having a neck portion, said scrubber comprising an elongated flexible scrubbing member having a mounting portion intermediate its ends for attachment to a rotatable actuating shaft, said flexible scrubbing member being extended by centrifugal force when the shaft is rotated to engage the inner walls of the container, resilient fingers on the upper surface of the scrubbing member to engage the bottom and side walls of the container during rotation of the shaft and resilient fingers on the under surface of the scrubbing member to engage the top and neck portions of the container upon removal of the scrubbing member from the container during rotation of the shaft.

4. A scrubber for use with a machine for washing containers of the type having a neck portion, said scrubber comprising an elongated flexible scrubbing member having a mounting portion intermediate its ends for attachment to a rotatable actuating shaft, said flexible scrubbing member assuming an inverted U shape for insertion through the neck portion of an inverted container when the shaft is at rest and being extended by centrifugal force when the shaft is rotated to engage the inner walls of the container, resilient fingers on the upper surface of the scrubbing member to engage the bottom and side walls of the container during rotation of the shaft and resilient fingers on the under surface of the scrubbing member to engage the top and neck portions of the container upon removal of the scrubbing member from the container during rotation of the shaft.

GORDON W. JOHNSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 699,367 Brewington May 6, 1902 701,084 Pindstofte May 2'7, 1902 906,836 Volckening Dec. 15, 1908 912,085 Davis Feb. 9, 1909 990,356 Hay Apr. 25, 1911 1,082,502 Clifford Dec. 30, 1913 1,199,456 Eick Sept. 26, 1916 1,382,117 Opocensky June 21, 1921 1,475,536 Bonnie et a1 Nov. 27, 1923 1,507,151 Bennet Sept. 2, 1924 1,826,942 Mackres Oct. 13, 1931 1,942,452 Rogers Jan. 9, 1934 2,162,677 Reynolds June 13, 1939 2,237,209 Arnold Apr. 1, 1941 2,573,945 Anstice, Sr. Nov. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 6,917 Great Britain Mar. 25, 1903 

